Redhawks ranked sixth in preseason poll

Southeast Missouri State softball coach Lana Richmond has no complaints about the Ohio Valley Conference preseason softball poll released Wednesday that has her squad tabbed for sixth place among 10 teams.

It's just that Richmond doesn't expect the Redhawks to finish sixth, which is where they placed last year when they went 16-36 overall and 10-14 in league play.

"Based on what the coaches saw of us last year, I can see where they did their voting," Richmond said. "But as a coach, the assessment of my team is no way we're a sixth place team.

"We have a very talented crop of freshmen and our pitching is healthy, which it wasn't last year. Those are two big keys."

Eastern Kentucky nosed out Jacksonville State for the top preseason spot based on voting by the league's head coaches.

The Colonels (42-17, 22-4), who took home the OVC regular-season and tournament titles last year, received 76 points and five first-place votes.

The Gamecocks (42-21, 16-9), who finished fifth last year, claimed the other five first-place votes and 74 points.

Tennessee-Martin is predicted to finish third with 64 points, followed by Tennessee Tech (60) in fourth and Samford (51) in fifth. Those squads placed, in order, second through fourth a year ago.

Southeast received 39 points for sixth, followed by Eastern Illinois (30), Austin Peay (25), Morehead State (19) and Tennessee State (12).

"Eastern Kentucky should be really good again, but I voted for Jacksonville State," Richmond said. "It should be another really tough conference race, with a lot of good teams."

Southeast is scheduled to open the season March 5 at the All Missouri Cancer Tournament in Kansas City, although Richmond said that, if details can be worked out with a certain opponent, there is a chance the season could begin sooner with a home game.